Consumers ‘are bombarded in all kinds of media with a large amount of untargeted advertisements for remote games of chance’, says the motion that was passed by the House of Representatives this evening. In it, the cabinet is asked to ‘impose a ban on untargeted advertisements for high-risk games of chance’.
“The gambling advertisements must come to an end,” says the initiator of the motion Michel van Nispen (SP). “Because it is getting out of hand, it has been flying around us since the opening of the online gambling market. It is very good that the House has supported the SP’s proposal: there will be a ban on untargeted advertising for risky games of chance. The ban can do a lot. prevent social misery.”
Big increase
Since the opening of the online gambling market, there has been a major increase in the number of hours people spend on online gambling sites, say the MPs who tabled the motion. That was not the aim of legalizing online gambling, they argue, but is now in fact the result. “With potentially major social consequences, such as financial problems and addiction problems.”
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Since legalization, there has been an increase of more than 50 percent of hours played per month over the number of hours spent gambling prior to October 1. This is apparent from figures from Similarweb, a company that analyzes web traffic and processed data from the Gaming Authority.
Online gambling is becoming even more prominent in the living room due to the legalization, says CDA MP Anne Kuik, who came up with the motion together with Van Nispen. She believes that measures should be taken to protect vulnerable groups. For example, gamblers should be able to set their own betting limit. According to Kuik, British research shows that people then use up to half as much. “That way we avoid misery.”
Contrary to objectives
This increase is at odds with the objectives of the Dutch games of chance policy. With the legalization, the government wants to remove online gambling from the illegal circuit. This should prevent problems such as fraud, addiction and inadequate age control.
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